| Method and device for data input -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Method and device for data inputRelated Patent Categories: Registers, RecordsMethod and device for data input description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060169784, Method and device for data input. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
PRIORITY CLAIM AND RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority from previously filed U.S. provisional patent applications No. 60/386,506 filed Jun. 5, 2002 and Ser. No. 60/435,434 filed Dec. 20, 2002. Both of these provisional applications are incorporated by reference in the present application in their entirety. A related U.S. utility application, Mobile Lottery Terminal Including Features Facilitating Use By Visually Impaired Ticket Agents, naming Christopher Collins et al as inventors, is being filed concurrently with the present application. BACKGROUND INFORMATION [0002] Human writeable machine-readable data input have many applications. Example applications include test taking, product orders form, data input for voter registration, draft registration, elections or other government functions, all-star sports balloting, etc. [0003] Another example application for human writable machine-readable data input is the purchase of lottery tickets or selection of lottery numbers. Many forms of lottery gaming allow user selection of lottery numbers. Such forms of lottery gaming include instant win lotteries, pooled drawing lotteries and Keno type lotteries, and include such games as Pick 3, Pick 4, and Pick 6. Other forms of games may also require player selections that may be facilitated by human-writeable machine-readable data input, e.g., horse racing or other paramutual betting. [0004] Lottery tickets may be sold at retail establishments such as liquor stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations. An attendant operating a lottery point of sale terminal may also be responsible for ordinary purchases. Counter space and attendant time may be at a premium time for retailers selling lottery tickets. Speeding purchase of lottery tickets may help reduce the lines that occasionally form when an extremely popular game takes place. Thus, it is desirable to reduce the complexity and time consumption involved in processing purchases of lottery tickets. [0005] The attendant time required for a customer to purchase a lottery ticket may be reduced and accuracy increased using play slips, also referred to as pick slips or bet slips. A play slip is a card, ticket, or other printed media that indicates a customers lottery number selections, and that may be used by the customer to purchase a lottery ticket having the indicated customer lottery number selections. Pick slips may be provided separately from the lottery tickets and may be reused to purchase lottery tickets with the same number selections multiple times. Machine-readable codes, such as bar codes, have been utilized to increase the efficiency of data input methods, e.g., from a pick slip at a lottery point of sale terminal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,165 describes a bar code lottery ticket handling system such that a customer may jointly purchase a lottery ticket along with other items such as groceries. In this system, pick slips include a bar coded transaction number which may be communicated to a lottery device at a check stand. Other systems may include a customer-operated terminal that allows a customer to print a bar coded pick slip that may be tendered when a lottery ticket is purchased. The numbers picked by the customer may be encoded on the pick slip in an extended field bar code. The machine-readable codes speed the transaction of purchasing a lottery ticket, reducing the amount of attendant time required and the concomitant lines for popular games. [0006] U.S. Published patent application No. 2001/0052083 describes presentation of a ticket with machine-readable indicia for authorization of user access to an application server in a wireless local area network. Machine-readable indicia are printed on a portable, physical ticket and the ticket is presented to an electro-optical reader for reading the indicia. This reusable card may thus save customer time as well as attendant time. [0007] In some jurisdictions, lottery tickets are sold by individuals carrying portable terminals. In some of these jurisdictions the individuals selling the tickets may be visually impaired, e.g., in a lottery to benefit the blind. Large pick slip generators or readers are impractical for such applications. Accordingly, machine-readable pick slips that do not involve large and/or expensive equipment for creating and/or reading lottery pick slips are needed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0008] FIG. 1 illustrates an example printed media for data input, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. [0009] FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative example printed media for data input, according to an alternative example embodiment of the present invention. [0010] FIG. 3 illustrates an example procedure for data input, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. [0011] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative example procedure for data input, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. [0012] FIG. 5 illustrates an example procedure for obtaining a lottery ticket, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. [0013] FIG. 6 illustrates an example data input system, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. [0014] FIG. 7a illustrates an example input template, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. [0015] FIG. 7b illustrates an example entry from the example input template, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. [0016] FIG. 8a illustrates an example ticket sale log, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. [0017] FIG. 8b illustrates an example entry from the example ticket sale log, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS [0018] Example Media [0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an example printed media for data input, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. The example printed media 110 is illustrated as a lottery play slip, although it will be appreciated that printed media embodying the present invention may be employed in other applications. The printed media may be paper, cardboard, plastic, or other material which allows human-readable information to be printed and from which machine-readable codes can be scanned. The example printed media may be 17 by 5.5 cm although other sizes may be provided. This dimension allows the printed media to be conveniently folded in half and kept in the credit card slot of a wallet. The difference between length and width facilities the recognition by a visually impaired attendant which axis is top-bottom and which is side-side, which may need to be recognized before using certain types of scanners. The printed media may also include raised indicia or printing which facilitates the recognition of the front of the printed media by a visually-impaired attendant. [0020] The example lottery pick slip 110 may include a set of machine-readable codes 111. The machine-readable codes 111 may be bar codes. The bar code may be a linear bar code, e.g., a standard interleaved two of five bar code. No standard code dimension is necessary, but the ratio of bar to space may need to be maintained for different code dimension sizes, and the code dimensions can not be too small to be printed or so big that the focal length of a bar code reader used to read the printed media is inadequate to read the code. Continue reading about Method and device for data input... Full patent description for Method and device for data input Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Method and device for data input patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Method and device for data input or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Color identification system Next Patent Application: Identification document with printing that creates moving and three dimensional image effects with pulsed illumination Industry Class: Registers ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Method and device for data input patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.28647 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Medical: Surgery , Surgery(2) , Surgery(3) , Drug , Drug(2) , Prosthesis , Dentistry 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
